The wars of this period prove, that the Licinian legislation freed the republic from pernicious fetters, which had kept her in deplorable and wretched weakness. Hitherto it has been only the internal struggles of life to break through this deadening restraint, which were worthy of attention; from this time begins the development of Rome in her call to rule over the nations. Complaints concerning the oppression of the taxes die away; the impossibility of paying them has vanisht, because the republic has returned to the full enjoyment of her rich possessions: no opposition to the levying of troops is heard of, but on the contrary dissatisfaction, when the soldiers are dismist from the colours against their will; so quickly had the nation become fond of war, so rich was it in warlike virtues and soldiers, from the time that every one had acquired the power of gaining the place due to him and a free farm.

We must not be misled, when the historians speak, as if the Gauls had come down for the purpose of making war against Rome: the chronicles had confined themselves to the still very limited circle of domestic occurrences, and the carelessness of later writers overlookt the general fate of Italy. The Gauls however did not seek Rome, distant many days' journey from their own home, and divided from it by other nations, but they laid waste also the Roman territory and Latium in the course of those desolating wanderings, by which they penetrated into the most distant districts.